D.A. creating ‘safe place’ for teen addicts

Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas has allocated $2 million in funds forfeited by convicted criminals for heroin treatment for teenagers ages 13 to 17.

“There is currently no crisis or withdrawal facility on Long Island for adolescent drug users,” Singas said. “As the national heroin epidemic continues to ravage Nassau families, it’s critical that we address this gap in treatment.”

Singas has issued a request for proposals to establish a residential treatment center for Nassau teen addicts who need “a safe place to begin the withdrawal process and obtain long-term treatment.”

“People are dying at an alarming rate, families are being torn apart and devastated by this disease,” Cecily Haramis, supervisor of New Horizon Counseling Center’s Chemical Dependency Program, said. “Individuals, families and communities need all the help they can get to battle this epidemic.”

In 2013, an average of two people died of heroin overdoses every day in New York, according to the State Department of Health. And the heroin epidemic has showed no signs of letting up ever since, officials say. “We treat people as young as 14,” Haramis said. “The majority of teens are referred due to cannabis and/or alcohol use. We see an increase in heroin use in the 20-to-30-year-old age group.”

Nassau has among the highest rates of heroin addiction in the state. According to Health Department statistics, only Suffolk, Queens, New York and Bronx counties have higher numbers of heroin-related deaths. Haramis said that the county has made strides regarding awareness of Vivitrol (a treatment) and Narcan (reverses the effects of an overdose), but long-term support and treatment is “absolutely necessary.” 

The district attorney said that the center, when complete, will be one part of her three-pronged approach to battling the heroin scourge, including treatment, education in the schools and “aggressive enforcement against dealers.”

Steve Chassman, executive director of the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence and a graduate of Kennedy High School in Bellmore, said, “History has dictated that without adequate treatment for substance-use disorders, the familiar outcomes have resulted in jails, institutions and death.”

“We can’t arrest our way out of this problem,” said Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds, president and CEO of the Mineola-based Family and Children’s Association. 

The crisis center, Singas said, is intended to provide interim care and housing while teen addicts are seeking beds at long-term treatment facilities, a “bureaucratic process that can take weeks.”

Haramis said that local treatment options include outpatient treatment, inpatient treatment, detoxification, and medication assisted therapy. The New York State  Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse and the Nassau Alliance For Addiction Services and Substance Abuse Services provide a list of services and treatment centers available based on the individuals needs and desired location at www.oasas.ny.gov and nassaualliance.org, respectively. 

“The biggest challenge we face is the limited availability of detox treatment centers and obtaining approval from insurance companies for detox services,” Haramis said. “An opiate withdrawal may not be life threatening, but the pain and discomfort of it makes it difficult for those who are physically dependent to withstand the symptoms. They often revert back to using opiates or buying other drugs on the street to get them through the withdrawal process.”